Page 63 of The Grump I Loathe

“See?” I said, bumping his shoulder. “Everything was fine. I think if I squinted, I even noticed you having fun.”

“I admit to nothing,” he said, stopping at the door. He stuffed his handin his pocket, digging out a card. “Here. Grabbed this while you two were cooking.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“My lawyer’s card. Give it to your dad. Ben’s the best in the business. He’ll be able to make sure Alannah’s still in your dad’s life.Andyours.”

The space in my chest wasn’t big enough for the emotion that gathered there, and I rubbed at the ache. “Thanks,” I said gratefully, pressing up on my toes to leave a chaste kiss on his cheek. “I mean it. For everything. Opening the door last nightandthe orgasmsandthe pancakesand…all of it.”

Connor caught me before I could pull back, turning my face to catch my lips and deepen the kiss briefly. “You’re welcome,” he whispered.

Footsteps drew close. “Look for my underwear,” I muttered before backing out the door. “I need those. All my spare cash is going into outfitting Mr. Cheesers’s closet.”

“I’ll buy you new underwear.”

“You can’t afford it either,” I teased. “You’re springing for his penthouse.”

19

EDDIE

“You’re working way too hard,” Max said, passing my cubicle on his way out of the office. He was the last straggler besides me. “It’s long past quitting time.”

“I spent too much time watching the animators work with Mr. Cheesers today,” I said, my hands flying across my keyboard. It was both hilarious and adorable. The rat-sized penthouse Connor thought I’d joked about now took up about a quarter of the employee lounge. With the rat’s penchant for those yogurt treats, the animators had him climbing all over his cage while they studied his movements.

“And Connor asked me to finish constructing the side quests and branching narratives for the Juni Protocol before this weekend’s playtest,” I added.

He’d actually made the request a few days ago. But there’d been many distractions since then, namely sex with Connor, Mr. Cheesers being adorable in his new sweaters, and more sex. Not that I was going to tell Maxthat.

“It should be illegal to work late in the summer,” Max said. “We should get a half day once a week.”

“A half day? Why not just a four-day week?” I teased.

“Now you’re talking!” He flashed me a grin. “Tell Cassie to call me if she ever feels like going dancing.”

I snorted, looking up from my computer screen. “If you need me to set you up with someone, just say so.”

“Hey, I do just fine for myself.” He cocked his head. “You don’t feel like hitting up the Garden again tonight? I can probably call some people and get them to come back out for a tipsy ping-pong tournament.”

God, that sounded like fun. Resisting was a bit of a struggle, but I knew if I agreed to go, I wouldn’t be turning in any work tonight. Plus, there was a very enticing distraction on the other side of the floor. My eyes drifted in the direction of Connor’s office.

“Already asked the boss,” Max joked. “And he told me to stop interrupting his workflow.”

I smirked. “Is that really a surprise?”

Max hummed. “You know, it was said with less disdain than usual, so I think he’s finally coming around to the idea of loosening up and getting a life.”

I caught my lip between my teeth. Or maybe myfunlessons were rubbing off on him. “Can’t tonight, but raincheck?”

“Sure thing,” Max said. “See you tomorrow.”

“Bye.” He walked away, and I heard the ding of the elevator arriving. Silence crept across the floor as I dove back into the world of aliens and Mr. Cheesers’s many side quests. When my phone vibrated, Ireached for it. Cassie had finally responded. She was out of town tracking down purple sofa cushions.

Any updates since you gave him the lawyer’s card?

I don’t think he ever bothered to look the guy up, I replied with a grumpy emoji.

Mmm…that’s not good.